Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Musée d’Orsay – busiest times 
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Cimietière Montparnasse: a favorite haunt in our neighborhood
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Paris plans to banish all but electric cars by 2030
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Gotta have: MAISONS BULLES
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
Love this flow chart on use of vous vs. tu (via Quora)
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
La Cigale Récamier soufflé restaurant is gone
In the News, Travel with Kids

Things to do in Paris on July 4 – The annual Paris Treasure Hunt

June 29, 2009

Sitting in my office in San Francisco, I feel smug that I already had Clue 1 (below) for the 6th figured out without leaving my chair. I wish we could be there for this.200906290951.jpg   On July 4th, the 4th annual Paris Treasure Hunt will take residents and visitors alike on a day-long quest through the streets of Paris. ... Each district has its own quest and a variety of “enigmas” - the story that leads you along the path - to put people on different paths to the finish line.

Culture, Food, Museums and Monuments, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Travel with Kids, Where to stay

Even those who are on a budget, Paris is an unexpected pleasure

June 28, 2009

Of course, as I read this article in NY Times , I was reminded once again, the democratic pleasures of Paris... that the Proustian aspects of Paris need not be costly.... taste360.jpg IF YOU GO HOW TO GET AROUND The Vélib’ bicycle-rental system has become exceedingly popular. ... Le Bar à Soupes, 33, rue de Charonne; (33-1) 4357-5379; www.lebarasoupes.com, offers an excellent lunch deal: a fresh market soup, two types of cheese, bread and a glass of wine for 9.90 euros.

Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental, Apartment neighborhood, Culture, For tourists only, Travel, Where to stay

If I could not stay at our place, this is where I would stay…

June 14, 2009
So many friends and others interested in traveling to Paris have been calling us to rent our place or to find other rentals and hotels for their summer holiday. Even though the economy is still in the doldrum and they say travel is definitely down, there are still many who are taking advantage of the recession and finding great values…read more
Architecture and Design, In the News, Understand France and the French

Reimagining Paris

June 14, 2009

Pei Pyramid, the La Defense Arche, the Ministere de la Finance, the Opéra de la Bastille, and the Bibliothèque Nationale, Sarkozy is looking even bigger, imagining an entirely new Paris.    One of the first things Sarkozy did after he moved into the Elysée Palace was to convene a meeting of prominent architects and ask them to come up with a new blueprint for Paris...... A formidable list of architects — including Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, Djamel Klouche and Roland Castro — put forward proposals that address a range of urban problems: from housing the poor to fixing outdated transportation systems to renewing the immigrant suburbs.

...Many of the ideas, thankfully, take "green" to a new level, trading vertical space for more parks and "green belts" to provide the city with more air, produce, and outdoor space.

Economy and Exchange rates

France is still the #1 tourist destination

June 8, 2009

This may be due to a flight to value, with people looking to spend less than they would on a hotel, or perhaps just because we've marketed our apartment for a few years now and are starting to get good word-of-mouth exposure for it. ... Some people may simply be passing through on the way to final destinations because of France’s central European location and airlines’ use of Paris as a hub. ... In spite of the global economic downturn, there was only a .3 percent decrease in the number of people who came to France in 2008 than in 2007.

Culture, Tours and visites, Travel, Un peu différent, Where to stay

Paris Hotels are investing in their own bicycle fleet

June 4, 2009

Paris Hotels invest in their own branded bicycle fleet and picking models that reinforce the identity of the hotel. Le Meurice, the renowned hotel that occupies an 1835 palace across from the Tuileries, unveiled five retro-style bikes in the blue-green shade of the oxidized copper rooftops of the city, with matching helmets and front baskets emblazoned with the hotel’s gold logo. American and British guests in their 30s tend to be the most enthusiastic customers, according to the hotel; Le Meurice’s sister hotel, the Plaza Athénée, opted for zippy red bikes with panniers. lemeurice_bike.jpg

Apartment neighborhood, Food, In the News, Restaurants, Un peu différent

A new place to try out – Itinéraires Bistro in Paris

May 31, 2009

My husband and I always talk about being a month ahead of NY Times on finding and discovering new places in the neighborhood. ... A tiny, successful restaurant from the 11th Arr. decides to open Itinéraires, twice as large, in the Latin Quarter. ... What intrigued me was the blackboard menu: Jerusalem artichoke soup comes garnished with a granita of foie gras; roast cod is topped with layers of tempura vegetables; and pheasant breast is accompanied by dates, pistachios, fruit compote and the odd nugget of buckshot.

Blogroll

We love Mr. Phil’s Paris Posts

May 14, 2009
Phil and his wife, Marti, have just celebrated their 18th anniversary of moving to Paris. I just enjoy scrolling through his many photos for a random taste of the Paris I know. ... Except for the first seven weeks in a hotel, we’ve lived all of our years of voluntary exile in the same apartment at 85 rue Blomet.
In the News, Museums and Monuments

Museum Night this Saturday – Rodin museum will give out flashlights – May 15, 2009

May 14, 2009

I've never really been a fan of Rodin - too sappy and too derivative of Dobie Gillis, but do have to say that this is a great way to make use of Museum Night and give visitors a way to see art in a new light (excuse the pun). ... Art lovers who visit the Rodin museum in Paris for this year's Museum Nights festival will be given a flashlight to admire the sculptor's masterpieces in pitch darkness. Hundreds of museums in France and in 40 more European countries will hold the annual dusk-to-midnight event on Saturday to encourage patrons to appreciate art in a different light.

Apartment neighborhood, Food

Food Lover’s Odyssey: Journey Through the Pastries of Paris — Part 2

May 6, 2009

It's not been six months since we were last in Paris and I start to get really really hungry looking at pictures like those in this excellent roundup of Paris pastries and patisseries.   Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki is literally three doors away from our apartment, so my wife goes there quite often. I find it a tad over-priced and as the article says, a little too "untraditional" for my tastes. ... All of the patisseries listed in this article are a hop, skip, or a big jump from 39 Vaugirard.

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